Saturday, July 18, 2015

"You work for years you will not see. You work for the invisible all the time, but you work for the eternal. So it is all worthwhile." -Amy Carmichael

In about two weeks, our team will leave SEA. We will leave our neighbors who have welcomed us in their homes. We will leave the neighborhood kids who hold our hands as we walk down the streets. We will leave three college girls that we have poured into from day 1.

We have shared the Good News day after day. We have prayed to the Father expectantly asking for salvation. We will continue to do so even after we leave, but I never knew how hard it would be to leave a place that doesn't know who the Father is personally. We are trying to make the most of everyday, every hour and every minute we have to be effective for the Kingdom.

We have seen only a few accept Jesus Christ. However, those few could flip this area off it's feet to see and believe in Jesus Christ. Those few will be the brightest light on the college campus and in the neighborhoods they live in.

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." -Philippines 2:13

We are working for the good purpose so others will know how Jesus Christ has changed our lives and as long as we speak truth to these people, we are being obedient. We cannot force our neighbors and friends to see the difference of Jesus Christ and their Hindu gods. However, we can pray that they seek Truth and hide it in their hearts. I know for a fact that each one of us has sought to be obedient to the Father this summer.

"Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest

if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9

My prayer for my team is that even though it is difficult to see the fruit we work and pray so hard for, we will continue to expectantly pray for these people after we have left. We will continue to be obedient even when we are not physically here. I pray we do not give up on these people... that they genuinely seek to have the Holy Spirit in their hearts as we do. I pray that they see a difference in us and that they want to be different as well. If we are truly followers of Jesus, we must not give up on these people that the Father created. He has never given up on me. He has never given up on you. He hasn't given up on these people who live across the world and has never heard of His name. He is before me, with me, and always ahead of me. He seeks to call these people His children. I pray that our team is motivated more than ever to share the Good News and pray expectantly knowing that everything happens in the Father's time, not ours.

I never thought that reaching the unreached would be in my
future or would become my future before this summer. I actually never thought
I would want to leave Texas let alone America. However, this summer has
broadened my horizons to the need to reach the nations. Who knew that remaining
in the States would open my naive eyes to the truths of war-torn places, physically
and spiritually, nationally and internationally, and their desperate need for
the Living Water? Certainly not I.

For many years I had been
praying that God would reveal to me an irresistible passion for something,
anything. It wasn't until arriving in Dearborn that the Lord shook me to
reality, telling me that all He wants me to do is go... go to the nations and
share the gospel and love everyone in the name of His Son. After spending
time with a different culture here, I feel led to be overseas, sharing the
Good News with people unlikely to hear it or who lack in knowledge of it. My
eyes have been open to the cruelties of this world and the need for the
gospel; I feel like I must go to complete what God has called all of us to
do, to do the Great Commission.

Friday
was the last day of a 4-day Bible club at a local primary school. I was
entrusted with the task of sharing the gospel with over 200 children
between the ages of 5-14 that afternoon. I was nervous all morning.

What
if I said the wrong
thing?

What if they had questions that I couldn't answer?

What if there
was no response at all?

When time came for the Bible club, our team was
running a bit behind schedule. I only had 10 minutes to share about the
most important topic that could ever be shared.
I was more than a little nervous. But that's when it hit me: none of
this was about me anyway. God knew before the earth was formed that we
would be running late. He knew that I would have the chance to share the
gospel. It was only through Him that I had
the opportunity to share, and so I could be confident knowing that the
response depended on Him and Him alone. God can do amazing things when
we leave the response up to Him!

After sharing the gospel, I invited the
kids to come talk to me or my teammates if
they had any questions. God moved, and I had the awesome experience of
being able to lead 7 girls to Jesus! They were so full of questions, and
had such a genuine desire to know the truth. I shared with them that
the angels rejoice in heaven when someone comes
to know Jesus. Their precious mouths literally dropped open in
amazement at the knowledge that they were making angels sing.

Please pray that God would continue to use us to introduce others to
Himself, and that we might give the glory to Him and Him alone.

Friday, July 17, 2015

A few days ago while I was with the Mountain Trek team we went out the the village of SN which is a different village than the one they've been staying in. It's also a different environment than the one we've found ourselves used to. The work there is more survey because it's a completely new area and if the opportunity presents itself the team is more than happy to set up Bible studies. However, this village has been very unreceptive. They ask their survey question and eventually sheer the conversation toward the Gospel but people have just been very closed to wanting to hear more.The Mountain Trek team would not be discouraged though.They kept up their work knowing that what they were doing was vitally important to future ministry in this village ad that maybe they weren't even planting seeds, but they were at least plowing the ground for someone to come behind them and plant the seeds so that someone could again come behind them and water the soil and so on.I was privileged to be there when they finally broke ground and even saw fruit they never thought they'd be able to see in that village.I was with Kallie and Glen and we were going house to house and the first one of the day had a woman named Mary Jane that Kallie spoke with... shared the Gospel... and was overjoyed to show her how to pray and accept Christ as her personal Saviour.The very next house we visited held a woman named Leah that I spoke with and was able to lead her in the same way.Both of these woman accepted Christ as their Saviour and are now assured salvation. It really hit Kallie and me that day the severity of what God was using us for. We both teared up a little and agreed that even if those were the only people we had seen come to Christ this summer it all would have been more than worth it. Two months of our lives for someone else's eternity? That will always be more than worth it.

It was an eye opening experience to see fruit in such a spiritually oppressed place.

Praise God!

Please pray for people's hearts to be softened and for them to have clarity when the team shares with them.

Please pray for Leah and Mary Jane. Pray for their husbands to understand God's love also. Pray for these men to see their sin, repent, and seek after Christ as their wives have.

Monday was our first day of VBS. I had the group of kids who were 7 years
old and younger. I had around 30 kids that I brought outside and sat on a
mat under a tree. Some of the neighborhood kids saw us and my kids
multiplied to 45! I told the story of Zacchaeus and explained the
importance of treating others, even if they have wronged you, nicely and
sharing Christ with everyone.

Then it was game time. I had 45 little eyes looking at me, ready and
waiting for me to say, "Vert," or green. We played Red Light, Green Light, and they loved it. On "vert" (green), they would quickly
start walking toward toward me (they weren't allowed to run). Then I'd
say, "Rouge" (red), and they lounge forward or quickly take a few more
steps and then stop. I would try to back away from them and they'd all
follow. I'd tell them, "No, rouge, rouge." They'd think about stopping
and then follow anyway. Finally, when they were close enough to reach me, I'd say, "Vert," and all their little hands would grab me. They'd hug me and
cheer. I thought I was going to fall over, but I had too many children
surrounding me for that to happen. I would send them back and they'd all
run as fast as they could, ready to get to hug the white person
at the other end again. I actually think that was why they loved the
game so much—they loved hugging and touching the white person's hair at
the other end.

There was so much joy in these children during the week and it was
truly wonderful to see. It was a blessing to share God's word with
children from all kinds of different backgrounds, and many children that
never would've stepped foot in a church.

Please pray that these children will remember what they learned about
God this week.Pray that God will send more Christians along to water
seeds that were planted during the week so these children may come to
know and love Jesus as their Lord and Savior.By Kaylee

This summer has been life changing
for me. God has shown me so much over the last two months. I have never lived
my life like Christ is the center. I have never had quiet times or
personal Bible studies and prayer. I have learned this summer
the importance of that daily Bible Study and constant prayer! I have also come
to the realization that God can use me!

I have always had a fear or spiritual
battle in my mind of how can God use someone with as dirty of a past as I have.
God says in Psalm 103:12, "as far as the East is from the West, so far
does He remove our transgressions from us." God does away with
our sins and our pasts, we just have to have faith enough to believe He has
done it. I have also realized how selfish I have always been in my walk
with Christ! I have always prayed for Parker, and I now
see that it is not about me... but about what God did and can do!
Another realization that has come to me is that the Gospel is not about things of the Earth but about the eternity of mine and
everyone's soul!

One story from our ministry is
that we had shared the gospel and given a Bible to this man and he simply
said, "For years I have searched for the Truth, and all I needed was a
Bible to find it!" The man had a truly simple faith, but had a much bigger
smile than I did. We just had to have a little faith in a big God. Always
remember, no matter where you've been or what you've done; God can and wants to
use you, so let Him, and when Satan comes
and attacks you always remember, greater is He that is in
you, than he who is in the world! All glory goes to God! Let God guide
you!

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I
know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."

This summer God has tremendously
blessed me and the ministry He has allowed me to be a part of. God has opened
my eyes to many things and the awesome plans He has for my life. I have grown
to trust God so much and He has provided and moved me in every situation. It is
truly awesome that God has chosen to use a broken person like me
to proclaim His great news. So many people have believed in
the good news and have had eternity-changing experiences. It is truly
a heart-warming thought to know I now have new brothers and
sisters in Christ Jesus.